BATON ROUGE, LA — From remodeling a kitchen to “putting the money in the bank and waiting for the grandkids to call,” Louisiana Lottery players had big plans for the more than $6.9 million in prizes won during drawings held in August. The Lottery also reported nearly $9.6 million in scratch-off prizes paid in August.

Easy 5 prizes totaled $185,584 with an additional $173,434 won in ezmatch prizes, an instant-win option available for an additional $1.

“More than 32,000 Power Play purchasers won a bonus total of $326,481 in addition to their regular Powerball prize,” Lottery President Rose Hudson said, “and more than 9,000 Megaplier purchasers won a bonus total of $112,916.” The Power Play option offers Powerball ticket purchasers the chance to increase nonjackpot-related prizes to a set amount, which ranges from $12 for matching just the red Powerball number to $2 million for matching all five white-ball numbers when they purchase Power Play for an additional $1. The $1 Megaplier add-on option multiplies nonjackpot Mega Millions prizes by a multiplier number of 2, 3 or 4 selected during the drawing.

In total, draw-style game winnings from drawings held in August were $6,886,205. Lottery draw-style game players have 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim the winnings from those tickets.

In addition to $9,606,035 in scratch-off cash prizes paid during August, players also claimed $1,542,802 worth of free-ticket prizes. According to Lottery policy, scratch-off games are closed when all top prizes are claimed, and scratch-off players have 90 days from the official game closure date to redeem a winning ticket.

“We encourage players to sign the back of their tickets immediately after purchasing and to check them promptly after the drawing. Even if a ticket does not win the jackpot, it could have won another prize,” Hudson added.

While actual game performance and the amount of prizes claimed will vary from month to month, the Lottery allocates at least 50 percent of sales to fund prizes. At least 35 percent of sales is transferred to the state treasury for the Minimum Foundation Program that funds K-12 public education in Louisiana. Retailers are paid at least 5 percent in commission, and the Lottery retains less than 10 percent of sales to operate.

A list of current scratch-off games, prizes remaining and claim deadlines can be found on its website, www.louisianalottery.com.

Hudson reminded ticket purchasers to play responsibly, encouraging anyone who has a gambling problem, or friends and family of anyone with a gambling problem, to call toll-free 1-877-770-7867 for help. Ticket purchasers must be at least 21 years of age.

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